


The Devil's in the Details

by BreWitching



Category: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)
Genre: DontComeAtMeAboutAllLilithsNames, F/F, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, SexEventually, SexWillBeExplicit, madamspellman, slowishburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2019-09-15 12:04:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16932936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BreWitching/pseuds/BreWitching
Summary: They wouldn't understand right away, that they were destined to connect.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first attempt at writing a fanfic for The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. I hope you like it. Comments and kudos feed my dark soul. Thank you to my darling beta, Kate! Without you honey, there would be far too many commas in this fic.

Her vision swam, images flashed through her mind, her greatest fear and her worst guilt. The humiliation of disappointing the Dark Lord… The sound of Hilda’s laughter… The anguish of disappointment. The sound of the shovel smashing Hilda’s skull… It was supposed to be like any other time, she killed her sister all the time, she was never supposed to _really_ die. The horror of the Dark Lord telling her that her sister wouldn’t come back this time. How many times had Zelda murdered her sister in anger or irritation, and not once considered the consequences. Not once had she truly considered that Hilda wouldn’t come back. The thought of losing her sister forever, of losing her by her own hand…It was unimaginable. But Batibat had made it real, made the smell of rot linger in her nose. Made her watch as Hilda’s body was claimed by the maggots and worms before her very eyes. Then, to make matters worse, Zelda had been inconsolable when Sabrina needed her. She hadn’t been able to pull herself together to even speak. She’d killed her sister, and failed Sabrina. Maybe it was truly, herself who was rotting, from the inside out.

 

Though Batibat was gone, now trapped in a new prison, the trauma remained. Every time she closed her eyes now she saw the rot, and she knew it was her fault. Zelda hugged her arms to herself, standing in the yard in just her dressing gown. She had wandered out here, needing space. Hoping to clear the horrifying images from her mind. And to think, Sabrina had seen it. Sabrina, her darling Sabrina, had witnessed Zelda’s greatest fear. Zelda was ashamed, guilty, horrified and ashamed. Tears pricked at her eyes, and she swallowed hard. A lump had formed in her throat, ever since waking, and no amount of gulping would dislodge it. It was like the decay had crept into her esophagus and was determined to stay. A shudder ran through her, and a sob escaped her chest.

 

She wandered further into the night, the chill seeping into her bones. She couldn’t bear to go back inside. She couldn’t bear to pretend like it hadn’t happened. She wasn’t sure she’d ever be the same. In all her years of living, and serving the Dark Lord, there were very few things she could say truly _haunted_ her. The Batibat’s nightmare, would surely haunt her. She wasn’t sure she could close her eyes ever again, without seeing it.

 

The shriek of a raven nearby made her jump, and she looked up, her face stained with tears. How far had she wandered? Her bare feet were numb, and she was so cold she barely felt the mist on her skin. A light in the woods drew her eye. She looked behind her, surely she hadn’t gone far from the mortuary. But behind her was only darkness. Behind her was only the woods. She wandered on, now following the glow before her. She smelled a log burning fire, the smoke tantalizing her nostrils, with the promise of warmth.

 

She sighed, relieved, when she spotted the small cottage, tucked happily away in the woods. How inviting it looked, all lit up in the twilight.

 

~*~

 

Stolas shrieked from outside, swooping in through an open window. Lilith raised an eyebrow, now this was unexpected. She had very much expected a visit from Sabrina, after she’d showed up in her dream to save her from Batibat. She had certainly never anticipated any other visitors, at least not so soon.

 

A soft knock sounded at her door, and Lilith adjusted the buttons on her robe before easing the door open. Of course, she knew exactly who was on the other side of her door, but what she did not expect was the sight of distress before her.

 

“Miss Spellman, oh my dear, you must be freezing.” The frantic look in the Spellman woman’s eyes gave Lilith only a moment’s pause, before she was ushering the frozen red head into her house. Lilith’s brow furrowed, her mind reeling. The glassed over look in the witch’s eyes, made Lilith not at all sure, that Zelda knew where she was. The fiery woman’s inner flame was dim, her pale skin was ice cold. Lilith grabbed a blanket from the back of one her chairs and draped it over the witch’s shoulders. She helped Zelda to sit in one of her wingback chairs, close to the blazing hearth. She brought the witch a cup of steaming hot tea, placing it in her trembling hands. Still the copper haired woman didn’t speak, just sat there clutching the tea cup, staring into the flames. She shivered still, a haunted look in her eyes.

 

Lilith took a tentative seat in the chair across from her, inspecting the witch. She knew that look in her eyes, it was all too familiar. She had stepped through all their dreams that night, save for Zelda’s. But the look on the witch’s face told her exactly what she needed to know. Lilith, the Mother of Demons, knew all too well, the horrors her children were capable of. Lilith felt her chest constrict, her breath tightening, she felt… _guilty_ …somehow. The feeling was entirely uncomfortable, and incredibly foreign to Lilith. She had felt many things in her eternity, guilt was never a part of it.

 

Maybe it was the broken woman in front of her, that reminded her all too much of herself. Maybe it was her strange affection for Sabrina, this woman’s niece. Or maybe it was something else entirely. The whole thing made Lilith’s skin crawl. But she found she couldn’t look away, she couldn’t send this woman away. As much as everything inside her told her to run from these all too human feelings, she couldn’t. A tiny piece of her didn’t want to. _Why?_

 

Stolas, who had been silent up until that point, chattered behind her. Lilith tried her best to ignore him, ignore his judgement. Anger rose in her throat, anger was easier to understand. Anger she could use. She had half a mind to silence him. But as quickly as the anger came, a tear rolling down Zelda’s cheek stole the anger away. Lilith waved Stolas off, sending him out into the night to keep watch on Sabrina. “Go be useful, before I sever your ties to this world…” She growled at him telepathically.

 

It felt like forever, sitting in that silence, watching tears slowly breaking from the brim of Zelda’s eyes. Lilith was captivated by the sight. It was beyond strange for the normally composed matriarch to be sitting in such a broken state in her living room.

 

~*~

 

After some time, Zelda looked away from the flames, finally a shred of consciousness returning. She looked about her, taking in the quaint little room she was in. The soft chair beneath her, the warm blanket over her shoulders. Lastly, her eyes landed on the woman sitting across from her. Dark eyes alight with the reflection of the flames bore into her. Zelda cleared her throat, finding the lump was still there. She took a sip of the tea in her hand, which she found, to her surprise, was still warm. The liquid slid deliciously down her throat, easing some of the tightness there. She sighed, feeling it warm its way down into her belly.

 

“I…uh…apologize, for the intrusion, Miss…”

 

“Wardwell, Mary Wardwell, Sabrina’s teacher.” Lilith finished for her. An inviting smile drawing her red lips up at the corners. “It seems you’ve had quite a fright and wandered your way through the woods to my home.”

 

“So, it would seem, I don’t at all recall the walk here…” Zelda’s voice cracked ever so slightly, emotion thickening her words. Zelda was not normally emotional, but lately she had found her emotions too fierce to keep in check. And it seems that this night, was too much for her to swallow, literally. “I should be going, I have imposed on you enough already, and in the dead of night no less.”

 

Zelda stood to leave, dropping the blanket, only to look down and find herself still in her night dress. No coat, no stockings, no shoes. Embarrassment rose to the surface, climbing up her neck into her cheeks. She snatched the blanket back up, wrapping it tightly around herself. She was mortified, for anyone to see her in this state, let alone Sabrina’s teacher.

 

Madam Satan eyed Zelda from beyond her hooded eyes, seeing that flush rise to its peak in the redhead before her, had been mesmerizing. A devilish thought tickled at the recesses of her mind, begging to see it again and again, but under different circumstances. Though her eyes betrayed her hunger, she found her conscience shoving those thoughts down, for now at least. She would devour those thoughts at another time. Right now, the woman before her needed something else entirely.

 

She reasoned with herself, that she was doing all of this as a means to keep Sabrina on the path to the Dark Lord. That it wouldn’t do any good for Sabrina’s composed Aunt to suddenly fall apart, that it would only make Sabrina question the Dark Lord that much more. But if Lilith was being honest with herself, she was doing it for none of those reasons. She was doing it, because a very human part of her, _cared._

 

Lilith stood, coming to stand before the Spellman matriarch, placing delicate hands on the woman’s elbows. Guiding her back into her chair. “You are in no state to be wandering back out into the woods. Please, sit for a while with me, I find I’m in no mood for sleeping either.”

 

Zelda’s eyes were wide, confused. There was something comforting, and all together unsettling about Sabrina’s teacher. She had to admit, up until now she had only heard about Miss Wardwell, she hadn’t actually bothered to meet her. Zelda didn’t trouble herself much with Sabrina’s mortal schooling, that had been all Hilda’s idea to begin with. She usually left any trouble relating to it, up to Hilda. It was far more important to Zelda that Sabrina get the education she needs, to serve the Dark Lord, as all the Spellmans have through history. A mortal education only seemed mildly appropriate, due to her duality, but Zelda would never admit it had any true importance.

 

“Well, thank you for the tea. I do hope I didn’t wake you.” Zelda spoke softly, taking another sip of the tea Miss Wardwell had provided her. China clinked softly as she set the cup back on its saucer, her hands still shaking.

 

“I find the night to be too exhilarating to find much solace in sleep. So, no dear, you did not wake me. Though it seems, something woke you.” Lilith couldn’t help herself, she was curious what Batibat could have put in Zelda’s dream, to unsettle her so. Lilith tried to hide her curiosity, as she spoke, pouring herself a steaming cup of tea.

 

Zelda didn’t speak right away, the silence between them stretched. Zelda’s eyes wandered back to the fire. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Miss Wardwell, seemingly disinterested, stirring her tea. Suddenly a chuckle escape Zelda’s lips, “You wouldn’t comprehend it, if I told you.”

 

“You’re probably right,” Lilith’s body language suddenly changed. She sat up straighter, “Why don’t you have a rest, in my bedroom, for just a while. And when you’re feeling more up to it, I will drive you home.”

 

The change in attitude prickled at Zelda, but she felt her eyes grow heavy, and admitted she was exhausted. She nodded, letting Miss Wardwell guide her to the next room, to lay on a very large iron bed piled high with enough comfort to soothe any soul. Miss Wardwell brought a plush blanket up to cover Zelda, and Zelda found herself sound asleep, in a dreamless sleep, within mere moments.

 

~*~

 

“Sabrina, why it’s the middle of the night!” Miss Wardwell opened the door, to a disgruntled look from the tiny blonde teenager.

 

“You can start by telling me the truth, about who, and what you are…” Sabrina growled at the older woman.

 

Lilith swallowed, she had anticipated this, and had been preparing her story since the moment she’d stepped out of Sabrina’s nightmare. “Well, you better sit down then.”

 

~*~

 

From the next room, Zelda could hear voices, she drifted in and out of sleep. A big piece of her was terribly afraid to fall too deeply into her slumber. It almost sounded like Sabrina was in the next room. The window told her it was the middle of the night. Maternal instincts overrode any fears she had been holding onto, and Zelda crept towards the bedroom door, pressing herself against it, to listen to the voices beyond.

 

She heard everything, and found her distress creeping back over her, Edward hadn’t trusted her and Hilda to handle things on their own. He hadn’t trusted them to care completely for his little girl. This betrayal hurt, it roiled something deep inside Zelda, something she had intentionally suppressed long ago. Zelda loved Sabrina, she had loved her niece since the moment she’d laid eyes on her. And she would throw herself before the false god himself, to save her niece from harm. There was nothing in all the universes, that could keep her from protecting Sabrina. But it wasn’t enough, Zelda was never enough, and now even Edward had betrayed her. It was like the final chip to fall away from her porcelain mask fell away. She crumbled, there on the floor. Her body shaking, her mind shrieking. Tears she couldn’t stop sprung from her eyes, and she sat there, in a heap, on a stranger’s floor. No not a stranger, a witch, Edward’s friend, sent to succeed where he assumed Zelda would fail…

 

~*~

 

Lilith had done her best, clenched her jaw, and answered all Sabrina’s questions. And by Satan, did that little brat have a lot of questions. Truly, Lilith admired the girl, for being so inquisitive. For seeking all the answers, for bowing to no one. It was invigorating, to be around someone so…fresh…so…ripe. Sabrina was exactly what the Dark Lord had ordered, and Lilith found it beyond her to dislike the girl.

 

She hadn’t been able to close the door fast enough behind her though. The entire time Sabrina had been putting her on trial, she could hear the turmoil in the next room. She could feel the distress. It had every ounce of her body vibrating, for all the wrong reasons.

 

Lilith eased the door open to the bedroom, it creaked on its hinges, making the woman on the floor flinch. The woman with flames for hair had her head in her hands, her nightgown pooled around her. Her body was pressed against the wall, so hard Lilith could almost feel it herself. Tiny sobs wracked the witch’s body. She looked so frail, so tiny, wrapped around herself.

 

Lilith slid down the wall next to her, her nightdress creating its own pool around her. From across the room, she reached, bringing a blanket to her outstretched hand. She placed it gently over them both before reaching around and drawing the crying Spellman into her.

 

She should have put something in the witch’s tea to help her sleep, she should have been more prepared. She should have had an ounce of sense to know, that her story to Sabrina would upset Zelda. She smacked herself internally. She had meant to keep the Spellman matriarch put together, not break her even further. The whole situation felt like it was spiraling out of her control, and the harder she tried to grasp at the strands, the faster they slipped away from her. Now she had a weeping witch in her lap, and she wasn’t at all sure what to do about it.

 

So instead, she did nothing. She rested her hand tentatively on the red heads gorgeous locks and stroked them gently. The witch didn’t shy away, she didn’t flinch, she let Lilith touch her. She let Lilith comb her fingers through her long red hair, soothing her sobs.

 

Zelda couldn’t even tell you the last time someone had touched her so gently, touched her so intimately. Zelda had had many lovers throughout her years, but she had never allowed herself to be so unguarded with anyone.

 

Time seemed to slow down, the longer Lilith stroked Zelda’s hair, the calmer the woman in her lap became. The tension released from her shoulders, and her breathing came easier. She didn’t move though, she didn’t sit up, she continued to let Miss Wardwell stroke her hair.

 

“He…he never trusted me…with her…” Zelda choked.

 

“Shhh, don’t say that. Edward was just overly cautious. He never doubted you.” Lilith’s voice was soft, soothing. She combed a lock of hair away from Zelda’s temples, tucking it gently behind the witch’s ear.

 

“It was you? It was you that helped wake Sabrina, to save all of us from the sleep demon?” Zelda rolled, turning her head to look up at the brunette.

 

“Yes.” Lilith whispered, finding Zelda’s eyes. Even with her face stained with tears, the woman in her lap was stunning. She found herself captivated, by the rawness before her. She wasn’t prepared…she wasn’t prepared for the Spellman matriarch to sit up and press her lips against hers. Zelda’s lips were soft, trembling. And Lilith, shocked at first, found she couldn’t help but melt into them. Lilith’s hand was still tangled in Zelda’s hair, and she found herself clinging to the witch.

 

Zelda’s inner flame, which had been so dim when she’d arrived, roared to life. Lilith gasped, breaking their kiss. Lips tingling with electricity, Lilith’s tongue flicked out, wetting them. She was ravenous now, her hunger growling at her, demanding she devour the woman before her. A hiss escaped Lilith’s lips, as she struggled to temper the demon soul within her.

 

Meanwhile, Zelda sensed something altogether different, and pushed herself away. “I’m terribly sorry, I shouldn’t have done that. For Satan’s sake, I don’t know what’s gotten into me. If you’ll excuse me…”

 

“Wait,” Lilith grabbed Zelda’s hand, “Don’t go.”

 

“I’ve made enough of a mess, of myself, tonight.” Zelda whispered, as she turned and left the room.

 

The door to the cottage closed with a soft click moments later, and Lilith found herself resting heavily against the wall behind her. A heavy sigh escaped her smeared lips. What in the hell was going on? One moment she was doing the Dark Lord’s bidding, and the next all she wanted to do was comfort the distraught woman who stumbled upon her cottage. The tightness returned to her chest, and she found she was gasping for the air her lungs don’t really need. There was just something all too familiar in the fiery witch’s eyes. The pain buried deep within, echoes through the empty space between them, and for the first time in eternity, Lilith wanted to go charging towards it.

 

Determination setting her jaw, desperate to soothe the ache inside Zelda, she rushed to the door. But by the time she swung the door wide, the forest beyond was empty. Zelda was gone, and the evening was shattering as dawn crested the horizon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tea for three...sets everyone's nerves on edge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize sincerely for the delay in bringing this second chapter to you! I had a bit of writer's block about a quarter way through this chapter. Luckily, writing a little smut recently helped clear up that block! So enjoy!

 

Zelda shut the door to the mortuary so quickly the wall reverberated with the force. Her heart was pounding out of her chest, a tentative hand reached up to clutch her chest begging her body to calm itself. She all but stumbled up the stairs desperate for a hot bath. Her night through the woods had her feeling gritty and unrested. Not to mention, the other experiences of the night had left her feeling raw and exposed.

Up in her claw foot tub, she let the rest of her tears break free. The steam licked at her exposed skin and the last of her poise slid down her cheeks. With wet hands she swept her hair back, exasperation escaping her lips with a sigh. The rosemary scented water filled her senses, as she scrubbed and scrubbed until she was pink all over. She laid there watching the sun rise higher through the trees, as morning greeted the Spellman residence. All while, she let her exhaustion and heart seep out of her into the water. She didn’t rise until the water had turned cold.

She had to pull herself together, Sabrina didn’t know she’d been at Miss Wardwell’s house last night, and she’d do whatever was necessary to keep it that way. She would lock away the shame of her evening, lock it up and throw away the key. She could only hope that Miss Wardwell would have the sense not to say anything. It was traumatic enough as it was.

By the time Zelda emerged shivering, the rest of the house was stirring. She slipped on her mask, zipped herself into her best dress, and prepared to take on the day. If there was anything she had learned over the years being a dedicated devotee of the Dark Lord, was that appearances are everything. She would not let her demons get the best of her. Satan give her strength.

* * *

 

Normally, a day at Baxter High was annoying enough, for  _ Miss Wardwell; _ but today was especially heinous. Lilith found herself clenching her fists and grinding her teeth more than usual. She longed anxiously for the final bell to ring, for the sweaty bodies full of unrelenting hormones to get as far from her as possible. The stench was unbearable.

“Ah, Miss Wardwell, do you have a moment?” That voice grated against her very last nerve, as Principal Hawthorne sauntered into her classroom.

“Principal Hawthorne, what exactly can I do for you? I was just heading out for the day.” She gnashed her teeth but hid it behind a tight smile. Her jaw jutting out, and her shoulders tensing.

“Well, it just occurred to me that we haven’t done your bi-yearly review yet. Over dinner, naturally. A woman like you, deserves to be wined and dined.” His smile spread across his face like the fatty grease across a pan.

She swallowed hard, resisting the strong urge to gag. “No, I don’t think so.” She didn’t elaborate from there, she vacated the room so fast he was left standing there blinking in a stupor. All she knew was she needed to get out of there immediately, before she satiated that deep hunger only flesh could soothe. It was too soon to eat him. She’d let his disgusting insolence slide, for now. But she swore by Satan, if he came onto her one more time she’d feast on him like he was her last supper.

* * *

 

The doorbell to the Spellman Mortuary echoed through the house and Hilda bustled to get it cheerily. Zelda felt a trickle of dread spin its web down her spine and she tensed. She knew full well who it would be, she could feel it in her bones. It was like her body was suddenly awake. She truly prayed Miss Wardwell wouldn’t embarrass her in front of her sister. But Satan help her, did she really know anything about the woman. She had no faith that the sudden appearance of this long-lost witch wouldn’t unsettle her entire life. Everything she had worked so hard to build was about to come crashing down. She could almost see the cracks developing in the fabric of her life.

Zelda was not one to shy away from her fears though. She approached the entryway, as if she approached her own funeral, pursed lips, and defiance in her eyes. The last thing she would allow was some nobody to be her undoing. If Mary Wardwell thought she could just interject herself into their lives, she was about to find out that the Spellman matriarch was a force to be reckoned with.

* * *

 

Mary Wardwell sat nervously in the Spellman family’s parlor. She had been greeted at the door by the short squat cheerful one, Hilda was her name. Lilith had filed that away in her memory but found herself very distracted at present. She was not at all sure she had made the right choice coming here. The clock across the room ticked away the seconds, sounding like a gong against her anxiety. What the devil was wrong with her, how had this one witch managed get under her skin? She wasn’t even sure what she was planning on saying when she inevitably came face to face with the auburn-haired beauty again.

“Oh deary me, that’s the tea!” Hilda exclaimed standing from her seat across from Miss Wardwell. She didn’t wait for anyone to notice or reply, simply bustled out of the room. Miss Wardwell had heard the soft sound of a kettle whistling in the next room, and it was now followed by all manner of clanging as Hilda set about doing whatever it was she deemed appropriate for their guest. They had been sitting is stock still silence before Hilda had left but it certainly hadn’t been a comfortable silence. Lilith sighed in the absence of anyone watching her, slumping her shoulders just slightly. She dipped her head down to examine her hands, spinning a ring she had on one of her fingers.

“Miss Wardwell…what an unexpected visit.” A voice rasped from the shadows just beyond the parlor door.

Lilith had thought she prepared herself for the moment she would lay eyes on the one and only Zelda Spellman again…she had not prepared enough. The sight of the fiery-haired matriarchy, glowing blue eyes dancing from the dim lighting, as the shadows caressed her soft face, it was enough to make Lilith’s mouth parched. She swallowed hard, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. What she wouldn’t give for some of that tea right about now.

“I am so sorry to intrude, but I…well, I felt a proper introduction was necessary.” Lilith cleared her throat, putting a smile on her painted lips. Her eyes met Zelda’s as the matron inched further into the room. A gleam crept into Lilith’s eyes as she examined Zelda’s demeanor,  _ she’s afraid. _

Lilith had been unsure how to proceed up until that moment. She couldn’t deal with her own nerves, but someone else’s fear she could certainly work with. She loved a good game of cat and mouse.

“Your dear sister, Hilda is her name? Yes, she went to fetch us all some tea. Won’t you join me?” Lilith beamed at Zelda, tipping her head to the side, in an inviting gesture. She patted the sofa seat beside herself. Zelda paused, noticing the shift, but not knowing how to address it. She pursed her lips, debating.

The seat beside Mary Wardwell might as well have grown teeth, Zelda would have preferred to sit anywhere but there. Zelda wasn’t left much room to decide though, as Hilda came back into the room carrying a tray. The seat across from Miss Wardwell was quickly claimed by her sisters rather large derriere, and Zelda was left standing there looking rather rude. She quickly took the seat next to Miss Wardwell, but leaned on the arm of the sofa, away from the brunette.

Lilith’s eyes followed Zelda from beneath heavy dark lashes. The corner of her mouth quirked into the tiniest smirk. “How do you take your tea, Miss Wardwell? Sugar?” Hilda chirped, seemingly oblivious to the tension between the two across from her.

“No, thank you.” Lilith responded, sweetly, though the sweetness tasted bitter on her tongue. She took the cup and saucer gingerly from plump fingers, eager to take a sip. The liquid was too hot, but scalding things didn’t bother someone who’d spent the last few eons in hell. Lilith relished the warmth as it swirled into her belly.

The silence stretched, only the sound of china on china and very discrete sips of amber liquid. Though not the kind of amber liquid Zelda could have used at that moment. With a heavy sigh, Zelda reached to the side board to snag up one of her cigarettes and a holder. She had just set the cigarette into place, when the brunette beside her rubbed her fingers together, lighting the tip of Zelda’s sanity. Zelda cleared her throat, her thick voice strained, “Thank you…Miss Wardwell.”

“Now, Miss Wardwell, to what do we owe the honor? Is this about our dear Sabrina?” Hilda clasped her hands in her lap, a wide toothed smile eating up most of her round face.

“Ah, well, of a sort.” Lilith set her cup of tea aside and shifted in her seat. “I felt it was about time that I properly introduced myself to you both.”

Zelda had expected many ways her next meet with Miss Wardwell could have gone, but she had not fully expected the woman to pretend like they hadn’t met last night. That Zelda hadn’t wandered in her distress right into this stranger’s arms. She had a new opportunity to hear Miss Wardwell explain her relation to Edward, and her task to keep an eye on Sabrina. She was far more prepared to hear it, which was more than she could say for poor Hilda. Pain crossed her sister’s usually happy features, but as quickly as it was there, it was gone.

“How wonderful!” Hilda cheered, waving her fists excitedly.

“Wonderful? Hilda, surely you don’t mean that.” Zelda gasped, baulking at her sister.

“Well, sure it’s a bit of a shock, but it’s not entirely surprising either. Edward was always so overcautious. And you have to admit Zelds, Sabrina is turning into quite the handful. Even better to have more eyes and ears to help us look after her. What with her skipping out on her dark baptism and all…” Her sister was chattering away, babbling on as she did. Zelda couldn’t take it, standing with a huff, a hand upsetting her pristinely rolled curls. The liquor splashing into her glass couldn’t pour fast enough. She threw the lot back without hesitation, before she immediately poured herself another. Her cigarette still perched on her finger clip, she took a long drag. She eyed Miss Wardwell from behind, noting the way she shifted slightly, aware of Zelda’s scrutinizing gaze. Zelda’s glare from the other side of the couch could have lit the fire in the hearth, if it hadn’t already been burning.

Again, Miss Wardwell turned her head just slightly, dark lashes grazing her cheeks as she peered over at Zelda. The brunette’s tongue snaked out wetting sanguine lips. The breath in Zelda’s chest hitched. She hid the shake in her limbs with another drag from her cigarette.

* * *

 

Zelda stood at the fireplace, leaning against the mantle. She had listened to the small talk between Miss Wardwell and her sister for longer than she cared to. She couldn’t bring herself to leave the room, though. She didn’t contribute much to the conversation, except a word here or there to not appear rude.

She couldn’t even say what exactly she was waiting for, but she did know she was waiting. She’d been through three cigarettes and likely too many glasses of brandy in the time they’d been badgering on. She still wasn’t ready when Hilda hid a yawn behind her hand. She excused herself through the kitchen, taking the remains of their tea with her. Moments passed while the two women remaining listened to Hilda clean up their dishes in the next room. It wasn’t until they heard the heavier woman climb the flights of stairs, that they finally spoke.

“You left so suddenly last night…” Mary started, her voice quiet, barely audible above the crackle of the fire in the hearth.

“Well there wasn’t much point in me imposing even more on your  _ hospitality _ .” Zelda hissed, hiding her face with her hair. She let her eyes fall to the fire, watching its tongues dance against each other. She’d felt heat like that last night, if only for a moment. Heat like she’d never experienced before. Her lips buzzed remembering the electricity that had passed between herself and the brunette when their lips had met. She had been weak and vulnerable last night, and she’d presented herself like some mortal hussy.

A hand on her shoulder startled her out of her thoughts. When had she stood up? Had Zelda been so lost in her fantasies, she’d abandoned even her most basic instincts? What was it about this woman, that she couldn’t seem to keep her guard up?

Lilith could have said any number of things to comfort or soothe Zelda then. Countless options floated to the tip of her tongue, but none of them left her mouth. Instead, she placed her hand beneath Zelda’s chin, and drew the redheads mouth down to her own. Zelda’s mouth was nothing like Lilith expected the second time. She expected the matriarch to push her away, she expected some bite. Instead, she was met with only warmth; quickly followed by hunger.

Zelda’s last cigarette had long since gone out, and she let her holder fall to the carpet at their feet. Her brandy glass forgotten on the mantle. She thrust both her hands into the brunette’s thick hair. Pulling her even closer with a need Zelda couldn’t comprehend. Sanity be damned, her senses were full. Full of cigarette smoke, brandy, and the heady scent of the woman pressed against her.

A demon sized ache in her belly coiled, gnashing its teeth. Lilith was hungry, but not to consume. She was starved for the gentle gasps between thin lips, as they pressed deeper into her own. She was famished for the feel of someone genuinely warm, clinging to her like there was no one else that could sate her needs. It was a hunger she had never quite felt before. Lilith couldn’t help but clutch Zelda’s shoulders. Desperation for more pulling them both closer. She had never witnessed life the way it could be, until she’d felt Zelda’s lips on her own. She had never been privy to anything so beautiful as the energy that swirled around them. She need more. They both needed more.

“Mary, wait.” Zelda gasped against Lilith’s jaw. Her breath so hot it could have seared flesh. Lilith panted, her haunting blue eyes locking with warm ocean blue. “What are we doing?” Zelda stammered, drawing her thumb down the expanse of Lilith’s neck.

“Why don’t we figure it out as we go?” Lilith purred, her eyes softened towards the redhead.

Lilith pulled herself out of Zelda’s arms. The absence of Zelda’s warmth leaving her cold and disgruntled. She was so used to just taking what she wanted. But with Zelda, she felt something more, the potential for something different. Something deeper.

“Why don’t you visit me, tomorrow night. Dinner. Nothing more, nothing less.” Lilith meant for her voice to be confident, alluring even. But she wavered on the last sentence, her voice lilting. She was nervous, nervous that Zelda would turn her down. She could have roasted herself on the spot, for even trying. Imagine, the Mother of Demons, Satan’s concubine…on a date. It was almost laughable.

She didn’t have long to fret, Zelda’s lips turned up ever so slightly. “Yes. That sounds appropriate.”

 


End file.
